Always There
by Pyralspite
Summary: They were five when they first met, the boy with the glasses who lived in the shadow of his older brother, and the girl with the smile that could light up a universe.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: My first full out DaveJade fanfic that I'm actually considering finishing.**

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They were five when they first met.

The boy with the glasses who lived in the shadow of his older brother, and the girl with the smile that could light up a universe.

He was at the beach, his small fingers raking up sand and stacking into a pile. The sun beat down unrelentlessly on the sand, but the wind was cool spreading the mist created by the waves. Dave crouched close to the ground, patting the sides of his sandcastle. He stood up to survey his work, his hands sandy and wet and his grin marred by the gap created by his two missing front teeth.

"Almost done,"

He dug a small moat around the castle and filled it with the warm water. A small flag was added to the top of the castle as a final decoration.

"Now I just hafta show Bwo,"

He looked towards the water, scanning the waves for his older brother, who said he was going to be surfing. After a few minutes of searching, Dave sighed and went back to reshaping his castle.

Suddenly, he was knocked harshly to the ground, sand flying into his nose, eyes, and throat. A sudden shot of pain jolted up his small body as his head hit the sand, making him cry out.

Dave started coughing, his body violently jerking to expel the sand that had gone where it wasn't supposed to. Tears ran down his small cheeks as he started to cry, furiously rubbing at his eyes.

"Sorry!"

He heard the small padding of footsteps coming from his right, muffled by the soft sand. They came really close to him, and then faded away. He wondered if the person left or ran away. Maybe they were afraid that they would get in trouble with Bro.

Suddenly, he's splashed in the face with a shitload of water and all he can do is sputter and cough and gag as seawater enters every single orfice on his face. All Dave could register was the throbbing, stinging pain in his throat and nose. He coughed up a mixture of water, spit, and sand and continued to cry.

"Hold still, my grampa showed me how to do this,"

Suddenly, a hand is placed on the side of his face and he instinctually flinches back, sniffling slightly. Another one grabs his arm.

"Hold still!"

Dave froze there, quivering slightly. His small heart beat twice as fast as he internally started to panic. Who was this person and what were they doing to him?

The grip on his arm is released and he feels a wet hand rub his face underneath his eyes. Suddenly, water trickled down onto his eyes, washing away the gritty sand. He sighed in relief, relaxing slightly.

"Hey! What're you doing with my Bro?"

Dave heard Bro's voice in the distance, and nearly sobbed with relief. He wanted to get out of here, away from the person who was touching and washing his face. He scrambled to his feet, eyes still squinted shut.

"Bro!"

Strong arms scooped him up from underneath, and he grabbed onto Bro's neck as his brother made his way to their towel and umbrella.

The area around him cooled and Dave knew that he was underneath their Umbrella. He tried to open his eyes, but instantly shut them again when they began to sting. Dave rubbed at them furiously, trying to figure out what was wrong with him.

"Whoa there, don't wanna do that," Bro said, pulling his brother's small hands away from his face. He picked up one of their spare towels and soaked it in the nearby cooler, which was full of melted ice.

"Hold still Dave"

Bro carefully rubbed the sand and snot off of Dave's face, smirking slightly as he contorted and twisted his expressions, making them almost comical.. He took his brother over to the cooler and told him to bend over.

"Alright lil' man, I'm gonna dunk your face in the cooler to get rid of those last bits of sand and shit. Take a deep breath,"

Dave obliged and Bro placed a hand on the back of Dave's head and plunged it underwater, quickly wiping off the rest of the sand with his other hand. Dave sputtered and gasped and gagged as soon as his head was lifted, but the young boy found that his throat hurt a bit less, and that he could breathe normally again.

Three minutes later Dave was sitting under the umbrella, slowly testing out his eyes.

"Is he okay mister?"

A small voice came from behind Bro, and he turned around to find one of the oddest things he's seen in a long time.

A small girl was there, wearing a once piece black swimsuit with a white swirly design on it. Her large glasses made her already big green eyes look huge, and her dark wet hair cascaded down her back, appearing reddish wherever the sun directly hit it.

What made her so peculiar was that she was sitting on what had to be the largest and whitest dog that Bro had ever seen. It was huge, with fluffy fur and a wet black nose. The dog panted happily, its ears twitching and tail wagging almost constantly.

The girl jumped off the dog and walked in front of Dave, looking at him curiously.

"Bec knocked him down when we were running," she says, narrowing her eyes slightly at the younger Strider. Bro looked at her, unable to speak for a moment, mesmerized the small girl.

"Bec?"

"My doggy! He's the best but he's kinda big so he knocks stuff over a lot,"

"Ah, I see"

"Bro who are you talkin to?" Dave says, his face pointed towards his brothers voice.

"Open your eyes and see for yourself,"

Dave tests out his eyes, squinting open one, and then the other. He opens them slowly and nearly flies backwards when he sees the girl standing right in front of him, barely five inches away from his face.

"Hi there!" she says, giggling slightly. Dave simply looks befuddled and Bro laughs quietly.

"Who are you?" he asks, still looking at her with a cautious expression. She holds out her hand.

"My name's Jade, whats yours?

Dave gets up and shakes her hand, dropping it quickly.

"Dave"

"Sorry my doggy knocked you over. He can be so silly sometimes!"

"s'alright," he mumbles, looking down slightly. He walks to the other side of the umbrella and picks up a towel silently, wiping his face, leaving the girl behind.

Bro decides to pitch into the conversation.

"Hey kid, how old are you?"

"I'm five years old. My birthday's in December, and it's the best day ever!" she says, swinging her arms out exuberantly and giving Bro a bucktooth smile. Bro chuckles.

"I'm sure it is kid. Are you here by yourself?"

"No I have Bec,"

"I mean are you here with your parents or somethin?"

Jade laughs, a high airy sound.

"No silly, I don't have parents. My grampa brought me here, he's the best."

"You're darn tootin right I am,"

Bro looked up to see a man walking towards him. He was tall, and had the type of build that suggested that he was quite muscular when he was in his prime. He looked like he was in his early fifties, with dark hair shot through with gray.

"Who are you bugging now Jade?" he asks, putting his hands on his hips in a comical pose and staring down at the little girl. Jade pouts slightly.

"I'm not bugging anyone, I'm just talking!"

The man turns to Bro, still in the ridiculous pose.

"Was she bugging you two?"

Bro shakes his head. "Not at all, we're just chillin here. Her dog knocked over my lil' bro and she was just apologizin,"

The man's expression changes into a worried grimace, "Oh dear, Is your brother alright?"

"Yeah he's fine" Bro says, gesturing to where Dave was sitting on the other side of the umbrella. He was zoned out, staring out onto the water.

"Well that's good," he says, holding his hand out. "Jake English, nice to meet you,"

Bro shakes his hand, "Dirk Strider, you guys new here or something? Don't recall seeing you around these parts."

"We moved here last week, got a nice house on Sebastian Drive"

"Oh, then you must be the family that moved in down the street from us,"

The adults begin to converse while Jade stands there looking bored. She tugs on the hem of her grandfather's swim trunks.

Jake turns to Jade. "Jade, why don't you go play with Dave for a little bit?"

The little girl grins and bounds off to where Dave is sitting, nearly scaring the living daylights out of small boy.

"Hey Dave, wanna play?" she says, grinning widely. Dave nervously rubs his shoulder, whispering a quiet 'okay'.

Jade smiles at him in all her bucktoothed glory, and grabs his hand, running off towards the waves.

By the end of the day, they're both sweaty and wet, with sand sticking in too many uncomfortable places and hair plastered to their faces. Dave has sunburned shoulders and new freckles all over and Jade's nose is peeling and they're both laughing manically.

They lay on the sand, smiling at the sunset, viewing the world in all their childish innocence. Addresses were exchanged and promises were made. Jade claimed Dave as her new best friend and Dave claimed that Jade was the 'coolest girl he knew'.

They both fell asleep in the sand, hands linked and smiles on their faces.

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**I would love it if I got feedback about this chapter.**

**~Reaper**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: A wild update appears**

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Summer passes quickly, and It's full of hot days playing in Dave's backyard pool and lazy nights lying in a tent in Jade's backyard, staring at the stars while Jade's grandfather tells them tales of his adventures.

They always fall asleep holding hands.

School brings two new kids into their number; Jade's cousin and Dave's stepsister.

Rose is a small girl, with pale hair and purple eyes. She moves gracefully for someone her age, almost as if she were dancing, her purple sash fluttering slightly behind her slender form and her small stuffed cat crushed against her chest.

John on the other hand, is a bit stocky for his age, with a bit of flab on his stomach and chubby arms. He has buckteeth and glasses, just like Jade, and untamable windswept hair that stuck in odd directions. His eyes were as blue as the sky and he had a habit of sucking his thumb.

They play together, stacking blocks and collapsing in piles of laughter when their towers fall over. Dave likes to play with the drums, Jade likes to draw, Rose likes to play with stuffed toys, and John likes to play with the blocks and construction equipment, showing keen interest in the hammers.

Jade tells Dave that he has pretty eyes, and John overhears. He later tells Rose that her eyes are 'bootiful'.

She gives him a small kiss on the cheek.

"What was that for?" he asks her, dumbfounded.

"My mama always does that when people call her pretty, so I do it too,"

John pauses for a few moments bashfully before he speaks again.

"I think both you and your mama are pretty,"

He gains a kiss on the other cheek.

All in all life suits them well. The four friends spend the school year together, and before they know it, summer approaches them in all its glory.

Dave's friendship with John begins to flourish that year, and Jade cannot help but feel a bit jealous. She knew she had Rose and John, but Dave was her best friend. What if Dave decided to be best friends with John instead of her?

And thus this thought consumed her five year old mind and worried her to pieces.

Jade voiced her thoughts late one night at the peak of summer during a sleepover. The four of them were sleeping in Dave's fully furnished basement, the only place in the house that wasn't excessively hot or muggy. They were lying on their stomachs on the air mattress, watching some crappy Ghostbusters movie that John had wanted them to watch.

John said it was a good movie.

Dave claimed that John was stupid.

And of course John would be the one to conk out first.

The dark haired boy lay on the right side of the large air mattress, hugging his stuffed bunny with his chubby face pressed against the pillow and his mouth open the tiniest bit. Rose fell asleep right next to him hugging her stuffed cat under one arm and resting her head on the other.

Dave and Jade were still awake, though they were close to nodding off themselves. Jade's glasses were off and her squiddles toy was next to her pillow. Dave's stuffed crow sat next to it, silently facing the screen.

"Hey Dave, I wanna ask you something,"

"Okay," he answers, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"Am I still your best friend?"

"You'll always be my best friend," he answers, giving her an odd look. Jade grins widely.

"You'll always be my bestest friend too Dave,"

They fall asleep facing each other and holding hands, while the movie plays on, forgotten by the four children.

They're in fourth grade when someone first comments about Dave's eyes.

"Look, its Dave with his freaky eyes!" the kid jeers. He's a large kid, and from what Dave heard, he'd been held back atleast two years, making him bigger, taller, and meatier than the rest of the kids. The other start snickering and making rude comments.

"He looks like a creep,"

"My sister says that if someone has red eyes they're cursed or something,"

"Oooh, I bet you he is cursed. Or maybe he has a rare disease or something,"

"Ewww, I don't want to go near him if he has a disease, I might get sick too,"

"I don't want red eyes!"

Thus, the childish stupidity goes on and on.

Dave doesn't understand why they laugh at him. His bro always wore glasses, but he claimed that they were for 'irony' and didn't serve any real purpose. His bro said that his eyes were 'really fucking cool' and that he shouldn't listen to anyone who claims otherwise.

Jade finds him moping behind the playstructure at lunch.

"What's wrong Dave?" she asks, wrapping her arms around him. He leans into her hug, placing his head near the center of her chest, on her ribs.

"I don't g-get why they're laughin at my eyes. They say I'm a freak of nature or somethin,"

Jade gets that glint in her eyes that suggests that she's about to do something completely insane.

"They're fuckasses and you shouldn't listen to them. You have the coolest eyes I've ever seen and nobody can convince me otherwise,"

Dave smiles at the anger in her voice.

"Thanks Jade,"

"No problem,"

They smile and walk back to the building, joining up with their friends for lunch.

When Dave see's Jade afterschool, she has a black eye and a split lip. She grins maniacally.

Dave immediately drags her to his house and gets out the first aid kit, telling her to put the ice pack on her eye and wiping the blood from her mouth.

She asks him how he knows what to do.

He tells her that he gets hurt a lot when he's strifing with his Bro.

When Dave's Bro and Jade's Grandpa come back that evening from work, they find two nine year olds and a melting ice pack nestled in the couch, fast asleep.

"Looks like they haven't given up that hand holding thing, eh Gramps?" Dirk says, chuckling slightly.

"Doesn't seem like it," Jake replies with a grin to match.

The next day Dave gets into a fight.

The same kid who teased him the day before confronts him, only this time, he has a welt on his left cheek the exact shape and size of Jade's hand, and scratches down his right. He looked spitting mad and Dave couldn't help but feel proud of what Jade had done.

"What's wrong Strider? Had to get bucktooth Harley to save your little princess ass?"

"Shut the fuck up Mitchell,"

A collective oohhh goes through the group of kids around them as Dave grits his teeth and clenches his fists, ignoring them and walking onward.

"Don't know why you hang out with her anyway. She's ugly as hell with her nasty buckteeth and dorky glasses. On the other hand, she's perfect for losers like you,"

Dave freezes in place, his eyes flashing dangerously. They could talk shit about John, they could talk shit about Rose, they could even talk shit about him and he wouldn't do anything.

But if any motherfucker talks shit about Jade in front of him, all hell breaks loose.

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY SHIT ABOUT JADE OR I'LL KNOCK YOUR FUCKIN TEETH OUT!" he screams, clenching his fists so tight that it hurt.

Mitchell nearly flies forward and grabs Dave by the shoulders, squeezing hard enough to make the smaller kid wince.

"I'd like to see you try you stupid priss,"

And with that he clocks Dave in the gut hard enough to knock the wind out of him.

Dave lands on his ass, but darts back up again. Years of strifing with his Bro taught him how to handle situations like this.

Dave pulls his fist back and punches the ten year old in the nose, snapping the kids head back in a spurt of blood. Mitchell kicks Dave in the shin and knocks him to the ground.

"Why does everyone like a loser like you so much?" Mitchell spits while punching Dave in the arm. Dave simply shoves him in the chest as hard as he can, a snarl decorating his face.

The boys roll around, kicking, scratching, and punching eachother; the small nine year old against the gargantuan twelve year old who'd already hit his growth spurt and looked strikingly like a bulldog on steroids. The other kids gather around them, unsure of what to do.

"Dave what are you doing!"

"Oh my god stop!"

Dave turns around to see the Harley-Egbert duo running towards him, with Rose following close behind.

This moment of distraction gives Mitchell a key opportunity that he uses to his advantage. Before he knows it, the larger kid is sitting on top of Dave's chest, pressing down and _ow ow ow fuck he was heavy crap that hurt really bad._

Dave began to cry as Mitchell presses down under his chest. He squirms and writhes, trying to get away, but the kid was too damn heavy and Dave was just too damn tired.

"Hey Strider, you wanna see what my older brother taught me?"

He grins at Dave with an ugly smile, and begins pressing down harder on his ribs. Dave begins to scream; Rose and John watch from the sidelines in horror.

"Mitchell I would appreciate if you got off my brother," Rose says coldly. Mitchell flinches for a moment, but before that moment is over the smirk is back on his face.

"Make me Lalonde,"

Jade darts into the fray.

She digs her nails into Mitchell's back, making him flinch slightly, taking his arms off of Dave. He pushed her aside with both hands, making her land on her ass in the dirt.

"Stay out of it Harley,"

Some of Mitchell's friends step out of the crowd and begin to yell at Jade. Before anyone can really do anything, a full out fight forms, with Rose, John, and Jade furiously kicking and scratching Mitchell's so called friends.

Dave takes the opportunity to pull Mitchell's hair while he's distracted, making the older kid shriek as he yanked. A look of pure fury crossed his face.

With one fell swoop, he brought his fists down on Dave's chest, pressing harder than before. An audible cracking noise emanates from the younger kid as he begins to scream and cry at the top of his lungs, gasping and choking in pain. He had never gotten hurt this badly, even while strifing with his Bro. It was terrible, the pain making every single part of him throb as he gasped for air like a fish out of water.

Suddenly, he heard a commotion and the weight on his aching chest was lifted as Mitchell got off of him. The older boy looked at him with an expression full of malice.

"Thanks a lot you little shit now I'm gonna get in trouble!"

Dave smirked slightly, one eye swollen shut as he wheezed on the ground.

"Good,"

Mitchell laid a kick to the side of Dave's head, snapping it to the side and hitting it against the cold metal pole of the playstructure.

He see's stars and everything begins to blur and _oh my god it hurts it hurts it hurts so fucking bad I'm gonna die here I'm sorry Bro I couldn't be as strong as you I couldn't fight like you I failed._

Through blurred eyes Dave saw Mitchell cowering on the ground nearby as three figures stand over him. He could see a flash of purple kick him in the groin, a bluish blob that kicks him in the back, and a green blur that knees him in the face. The world is spinning around in an onset of bright lights and colors as the throbbing in his head and chest continues as he begins to cough and _oh fuck am I coughing up blood?_

Everything goes dark.

Bro gets a call from the school. The lady on the other side sounds frantic, panicked.

"Is this Mr. Strider?"

"Yeah, what's up,"

"It seems that David and his friends got into a serious fight on the playground. The ambulance is on its way as we speak but we would appreciate it if you came as soon as you can,"

Bro's eyebrows furrowed.

"Ambulance?"

"Yes it seems that two or three children have sustained serious injuries, and Dave got the wor-"

"Fuck it. I'm on my way,"

He slams the receiver down and grabs his files.

When Bro gets to the school building, there are numerous parents lined up outside. He could hear kids crying and whimpering inside the office.

Sitting in the corner was little Egbert cradling his arm and sniffling. His dad was in front of him, pristine white Fedora nearly glowing in the desolate room. He was consoling John, cleaning up his tears and telling him that they were going to get his arm fixed as soon as possible. The boy sniffles and nods tearfully.

Rose was sitting in the corner with ol' 'Foxy' Roxy Lalonde. A smirk was spread across the little girl's bruised up face as she watched the huge ass boy in the corner crying and _fuck did his parents feed him growth hormones for dinner every night?_ Roxy looked incredibly smug and proud.

"Thas' my girl. You showed em' Rosie you beat their asses good. Momma's so proud a' you,"

The parents of the bulldog kid shoot Roxy a glare and she sticks her tongue out at them.

The last of their number, Harley, was sitting right next to Egbert, holding her arm and wincing at the welts and scratches that covered it. Bro crouches down in front of her and looks up at her face.

"You okay there?" he asks, wiping away her tears with his thumb. She flings her arms around his neck, making him let out a surprised yelp.

"I'm so sorry Bro I'm the reason Dave got hurt oh my god I feel terrible,"

He stiffens at the mention of Dave's name as she begins to ramble and cry.

"Hey Jade it would be pretty fuckin awesome right now if you could tell me where he is,"

She led Bro to the clinic area in the back of the office.

It had been nearly ten years since Dirk Strider last shed a tear.

He cried that night.

"Yo Harley you can stop talking now,"

Dave lay down and stared at the ceiling of the hospital room, staring at the cracking and breaks marring the wall. It had been about two day's since he woke up, and most of those two days had been spent drifting in and out of sleep.

Jade sat next to him, sniffling quietly. Her black eye had subsided considerably, allowing her to squint.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm so so sorry it was my fault I shouldn't have hit them the day before,"

She was apologizing over and over again for something she didn't cause, and the sound of her crying pulled at Dave's heartstrings. He could never stand seeing Jade cry.

"Harley,"

"No Dave its all my fault you got hurt because of me,"

"Harley,"

"Oh my god I'm a terrible friend John broke his arm and Rose got a bunch of bruis-,"

"JADE!"

And Dave, sweet little Dave just put a hand on her mouth and shook his head. Her eyes softened and she nodded slightly. Years of knowing Dave allowed her to understand his every movement, every twitch, every casual shrug of his shoulder, every smile.

She knew that he forgave her.

She stayed with him in the hospital every night until he was released, falling asleep next to him and waking up with the imprint of her glasses on her face.

They smile and laugh and joke around and it feel so right and so natural to spend time with eachother.

Their hands remained clasped.

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**I didn't expect that much positive feedback from the first chapter. You guys rock.**

**You can find me on tumblr and AO3. my tumblr URL is magnificenthoofbeasts and my AO3 is also Pyralspite**

**I would love it if you guys reviewed and told me your thoughts about this chapter.**

**~Pyralspite**


	3. Chapter 3

The time between sixth and seventh grade brings many changes to the four.

Dave hit his growth spurt, shooting up like a weed and finally growing taller and leaner than the other three. He wore big awkward aviators to cover up his red eyes ever since the fourth grade incident, and now he had finally grown into them. His face was slowly losing that childish roundness, making him appear older and handsomer. His voice cracked and pitched constantly, still adjusting between his childhood high and the baritone he was growing into. He was lanky, stuck in that awkward in between phase of puberty when your body shoots up too far in a ridiculously short amount of time.

John grew too, not quite as much as Dave, but a considerable amount. He worked out and lost weight, building a decent amount of muscle, making him a sharp contrast to Dave's lean and lanky structure. He got braces, which slowly corrected his buckteeth, and he swapped out his big bulky square glasses for a pair that were a bit smaller and more suited to his face.

Rose grew taller and curvier, with hips that jutted out and swung a bit when she walked. She chopped off her long whitish blond hair, making it end right along the curve of her jaw. She started wearing black lipstick and black eyeliner, and had developed an infatuation with wizards, dead things, and the colors purple and black.

Halfway across the world, Jade grew up too, puberty hitting her swiftly and drastically over the summer. She grew slightly taller than John, though not quite as tall as Dave. The chubbiness in her face slowly decreased, making her loose that innocent childhood appearance that she always seemed to carry. Her chest grew to a decent size, and the fat in her midsection decreased gradually, forming a slender waist and small hips. She crops her hair so that it just barely brushes her shoulders.

They spend the summer having pool parties and get-togethers. Rose takes an interest in psychology and psychoanalyzes the life out of the two boys. The three back home hang out with their other friends, including the loudmouth Karkat Vantas, the elegant Kanaya Maryam, and manipulative Vriska Serket. Twelve new companions have joined them over the course of two short years, but as always, the original four seem the most loyal and tightly knit.

John develops an unrequited crush on Rose and ends up getting his heart broken when Rose kisses Kanaya under the moonlight during a campout. He's sweet about it though, and thoroughly encourages her to continue dating the slender Maryam.

Dave confronts him about this late one afternoon. He asks why John wasn't making such a big fuss about it.

"It's because I like her Dave, and I want to see her happy. I'm willing to put my own feelings aside for her," John looks by and lets out a breathy and bitter laugh. "Funny how it turns out that the first person I fall in love with doesn't swing that way,"

Dave simply looks at him for a moment and shakes him head, his expression unreadable behind his shades.

"You're the hugest fucking sap I've ever laid eyes on,"

"Yeah, I know,"

Even as he says it, Dave knows that John's soul and mind are far older than his age. Not many twelve year olds would take such a mature course of action.

He also comes to the sudden revelation that he too would be willing to put aside his feelings for the sake of a certain girl.

Dave's eyebrows furrow as he contemplates the thought, wondering where the hell it came from.

His confusion only sets in for a moment before he shakes it away and shuffles forward.

They walk on in companionable silence.

* * *

They talk to Jade through the phone and there's a small ache at the pit of Dave's heart as he hears her voice and he misses her, he misses her so fucking much it makes his chest ache.

He still curls his fingers when he sleeps at night, as if Jade's hand is still nestled firmly in his. Their sleepovers became a lot less constant after fifth grade, but old habits die hard and he's slept that way ever since he could remember.

* * *

Summer morphs into fall and as the leaves turn golden Jade returns in all her glory. For a brief moment Dave is unable to recognize the girl who launches herself into his arms, hugging him so hard he can hear his spine crack. He laughs as she turns her face to him.

Yep, definitely Harley.

She's excited, telling him about her trip and of all the wonders she saw and the people she's met. Jade even claims that she has a gift for him.

Dave grins for a second, but his expression slowly turns fearful when he see's the wicked look on her face.

She reaches into the bag she brought with her and pulls something out.

Oh.

Oh fuck no.

She brought him a Japanese schoolgirl outfit, complete with thigh high socks and necktie.

"There is no way in hell I'm wearing that,"

"Oh fuck yes you are," comes a voice from behind you, and you look back in horror to see your twenty-eight year old Bro straddling the banister like a fucking preschooler, a shit eating grin decorating his smug face. He darts out and takes the dress from Jade, raising his other hand for a high-five.

"Bro asked me to bring you one when I went to Japan," she says, grinning and high-fiving him.

"Since when were you two in cahoots?"

"Since whenever I get an opportunity to see you embarrass yourself," Jade says, nudging Dave's foot. He groans audibly and Bro absconds up the stairs.

"Harley you're going to end up being the death of me," Dave says, burying his head in his hands. Jade laughs quietly for a few moments, then goes silent. Dave looks over to see what's wrong.

She looks so sad, her eyebrows tilted downward and her lips drooping, making an expression that pulls at Dave's chest.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asks her, nudging her with his shoulder. She smiles sadly at him.

"Nothing, I just missed you all. Everyone's changed so much this summer and you guys had so much fun with eachother and I…..I wasn't there,"

Oh fuck she looks like she's about to cry.

Dave doesn't even hesitate for a second before he scoops her up in a lanky bear hug. She wraps her arms around him and the embrace felt so familiar and oh so right.

"Well you're here now right? That's what fuckin matters the most,"

She smiles behind his shoulder.

"I really missed you Dave,"

"Missed you too Harley,"

* * *

School starts and life goes on as usual. Rose starts dating Kanaya, and Karkat works up the nerve to ask out his long time crush, the blind law nut, Terezi Pyrope.

She of course says yes in her overly exuberant manner and covers him in wet kisses, even pausing to lick his cheek, claiming that he tastes like the color red.

He calls her a fucking weirdo and tells her that her tongue is flawed, even though he knows that she has freaky as shit senses and synthesia that somehow allows her to see her surroundings even though she's blind.

"Karkles I can smell the cherry shampoo you used this morning,"

He curses silently under his breath.

Of course, a week later Jade finds Terezi and Dave making out against the back of the school building and nearly flips her shit. A shocked expression dons Dave's face as the other girl plants her lips on his swiftly, giggling and sniffing at him. Jade ducks behind a corner and spies on them making out and she knows that this is so terribly wrong Terezi has a boyfriend already and Dave belongs to her and everything feels wrong and horrible.

She freezes as she goes over her thoughts again.

Dave belonged to her?

The green eyed monster takes control of the spying Jade Harley and there's no turning back now.

She doesn't know why she feels this way about seeing her best friend make out with Terezi. She should be fine with it…..right?

The next week she gets back at Terezi and Dave by pecking Karkat on the lips right in front of their eyes. The lanky angry Indian boy simply looks shocked, his usual expletives failing him.

Dave simple shrugs and kisses Karkat right after her, leaving the boy cursing in his wake.

"Why you piece of shit bulgefucking assholes what the fuck is wrong with the two of you!?" he swears at the top of his lungs. Jade starts laughing along with Terezi, jealousy melting away while Dave smirks.

"You know you can't resist this Strider ass," Dave deadpans. Karkat flips him off and storms down the hallway.

* * *

Hormones begin running amok somewhere between seventh grade and eighth grade and suddenly everyone find their friends that much more attractive.

In eighth grade Kanaya and Rose continue dating despite the crude teasing done by their classmates. They ignore the words thrown at them, some of the most common being 'faggot' 'cunt' 'sinner' and 'bitch'.

Rose uses calm cold words that bite back and leave the teaser speechless.

Kanaya uses a cruder approach and threatens that she'll chop them in half with the chainsaw that her lumberjack stepdaddy gave her on her thirteenth birthday.

Eridan Ampora makes the mistake of not taking her seriously enough.

He finds a note in his locker from Kanaya telling him to meet her on the school grounds next to the big oak tree afterschool.

Their entire group of friends join him, curious as to what the strange girl might do.

Kanaya waits until everyone's arrived and revs up her chainsaw.

She pins a picture of Eridan up on the tree.

"Let us all pretend for the sake of keeping me from getting arrested that this is Eridan,"

She takes her chainsaw and chops the picture in half, proceeding to slice everything but the base of the tree to smithereens.

She then takes a knife and carves a message into the stump swiftly and smoothly as Eridan looks on in horror.

_Mr. Ampora If You Verbally Or Physically Taunt My Girlfriend Or I One More Time I Guarantee That You Will Suffer The Same Fate As This Tree._

Rose smirks and gives Kanaya a peck on the cheek.

John lets out a low whistle.

Dave shakes his head in silent laughter and claps slowly.

Eridan nods and back away, his face donning a fearful expression and turning pale as a ghost

He stays at least six feet away from both Kanaya and Rose at all times and nobody bothers them for the rest of the year.

* * *

**Oh gosh that was fun.**

**As usual, feedback is greatly appreciated.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the long delay. I was kinda busy over the last month.**

**This chapter is more John oriented with a smattering of DaveJade throughout. It also has a bunch of sadstuck.**

* * *

The last day of eighth grade passes and the first day of summer hits the four of them in the face with crisp rays of sunlight and stifling heat.

They decide to spend the day in Dave's pool, splashing each other and floating around in bliss. Rose sits on one of the pool chairs under an umbrella, reading a book while enjoying the warmth from the sun's rays. John hops out of the pool shaking out his hair and notices Rose staring at him from above her book. He quirks an eyebrow at her and grins.

"Yo Rose, we can all totally tell that you're staring at Egbert's hot nerd bod," Dave yells from the water right before Jade jumps on him and pushes his head under, making him sputter and cough. Rose smirks and puts down her book.

"I haven't been ogling him any more than you have dear brother,"

The three of them burst out into peals of laughter as Dave's ears turn red. John immediately counters with an 'I'm not a homosexual Dave,' and Jade laughs so hard that she nearly chokes on chlorinated water.

Later in the day while they are sitting outside on the grass soaking in the sunlight, they notice a small face peering at them from the house right behind Dave's. It disappears almost as soon as John points it out.

The next day they find a little girl standing on the porch of the back house, staring at them while they shit around. She smiles a lot, displaying a gap where her two front teeth would have been and her blonde pigtails bounce when she moves her head.

"Hey Egderp, who's that?"

"I don't know Dave, I've never seen her before. I'm gonna go say hi,"

John goes right up to her and asks her what her name is. She blushes and hides her face with her hands, peeking between her fingers.

"M-my name's Casey,"

John asks her in a gentle voice if she wants to play with them and the little girl smiles and bobs her head and jumps up, running towards the others. A small smile graces Johns face as he sees the childish energy that emanates out of her.

Casey hangs out with them all day. She asks Rose to read her a story, and asks all the right questions, making the older girl grin and laugh and feel better than she had in a long time. Casey braids Jade's now long luxurious hair, ranting about how pretty the older girl is and how she and wants to look like her when she grows up.

Casey steals Dave's glasses off his face and he sits there shocked before leaping up chasing after her, chuckling and yelling. She puts them on and dons a straight face, crossing her arms and staring straight at him.

"Look, I'm a coolkid now," she says, marching right up to the older boy and looking up. She was barely half his height, yet she acted like she was the one in control. Dave grins and lets her keep the glasses until she gets sick of them.

Her absolute favorite out of the four, however, was John. He lifts her onto his back for a piggyback ride, running across the yard as fast as he could while she spread her arms like a plane and laughed like there was no tomorrow, full of childlike joy and carefree gestures.

She nicknames John the Windy boy, claiming that he ran faster than the Breeze.

They sit on her porch as evening sets in, talking and laughing with the little five year old. She tells them stories about her stuffed toys and her family, and they intently listen, asking questions along the way and laughing just to humor her. It had been a long time since any of them had interacted with someone so young, and there was something about this little girl that made their hearts melt.

Casey's mother comes out onto the porch halfway through one of the little girl's stories.

"Casey, what are you doing out here?"

"I'm talkin with my new friends mommy. They played with me all day and Rose told me stories and Jade let me play with her hair and Dave let me wear his glasses and John took me on a piggyback ride and taught me how to fly!" she says excitedly.

"That's wonderful Casey, but we have to go home now. Say goodbye to your friends and go wash up for dinner okay?"

"Okay," she says, looking a little dejected. She gives each of them a kiss on the cheek coupled with a hug and skips inside the house. Her mother looks down at the four and smiles.

"Thank you for letting Casey play with you four, you have no idea how much I appreciate it,"

"It was nothing, we actually had a lot of fun and we wouldn't mind if she came back," John says, smiling politely.

"It's been a long time since Casey's had friends. Ever since she got lung cancer from her father's second hand smoking, she's been unable to get out of the house much without supervision. She is in remission now, but I still don't like her playing alone. Thank you for spending time with her,"

"Um, it's no problem," Jade says, her eyes widening slightly. Casey's mother smiles.

"You kids should probably get home, its getting late,"

The mother walks back inside the small abode while the four kids stare at her, unable to digest this newfound information.

* * *

Casey is invited to play with them nearly every single day after that. They splash in the pool with her, invite her to sleepovers, and carry her on their shoulders when she gets tired. Casey becomes happier and happier as the days go on, smiling and giggling whenever she was able to interact with the four older kids.

Summer is a perfect mess of laughter, sunshine, and joyful emotions.

Until it isn't.

One day, near the end of summer, John goes over to Casey's home to invite her to hang out with them.

He's met by the strained face of her mother.

"Casey can't come outside to play today. She had a recurrence, which means the doctors found that some of the Cancer cells are beginning to multiply again. She had Chemo this morning and she's terribly sick,"

John instantly feels sick as his heart drops into his stomach.

"Can I please see her Ms. Salamancer?"

Casey's mother gladly obliges, and point's John in the direction of Casey's bedroom. He enters to find the most pitiful sight he's ever seen in his fourteen short years.

Casey's sitting upright on the bed with a book in her lap and her stuffed animals surrounding her. Her hair is cleanly shaved off, replaced by a bright yellow beanie. She's crying silently, tears streaming down her pale, grayish skin, a tone that contrasted with the healthy glow John had seen last time he visited her.

"Hey there Caseadoodle," he says softly, using the nickname he had given to her earlier that summer. Her head snaps up at his voice, a look of horror written plainly across her face.

"No don't look at me!" Casey screeches, pulling the blankets over her head. John can see her quivering under the sheets when he approaches the bed.

"What's wrong Casey?"

"Just don't look at me, please,"

"Why don't you want me to look at you?"

Casey pauses for a moment, her small head still hidden under the blankets.

"Because I'm ugly now!"

John frowns, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Casey pull down the blanket,"

"NO!"

"Casey please, I promise I won't say anything,"

"NO!"

"Why don't you want me to see your face?"

"Because if I'm ugly you won't want to be friends with me anymore! That's what happened last time I lost my hair. The other kids didn't want to be friends with me cause' they said that I was ugly!"

Her words send a small pang through John's heart as he walks up to her and tugs on the blanket slightly, his expression softening.

"Case, I promise that no matter how you look, I will always be your friend,"

A slight pause. Casey sticks her hand out of the blankets, quivering a bit.

"Pinky promise?"

"Pinky promise," the older boy says, linking his smallest finger with hers. She slowly pulls down the blanket, revealing her small ashen face.

John felt like he was going to cry. Where was the healthy little pink-cheeked blonde haired girl he had seen only a few days ago?

He stares at her a moment too long, failing to notice her expression shift to that of panic.

"See I told you I was ugly! Now you won't be my friend anymore!"

She begins to pull the blanket over her head, only to be stopped by John gripping her wrist softly.

"No, I was just seeing how pretty you look,"

Casey peeks out from behind her hands at John, her bright blue eyes glistening.

"Really?"

"Yes really. Casey, you're probably the prettiest little girl I've ever seen,"

"B-but I have no hair! Jade has really long hair and she's prettier than me,"

"Yea Jade has longer hair, but she isn't as cute as you are," John says, tapping a finger on her nose. He leans in closer, pretending to whisper in her ear, "Don't tell her I told you this, but she drools and snores in her sleep, and I don't think thats very pretty at all,"

Casey giggles, her worries forgotten as John laughs along with her.

They hear tromping on the stairs and suddenly the other three kids burst in, making Casey squeak and hide her face.

"Hi guys!" John says happily while the little girl peeks out from behind the blankets. The other three settle themselves at the unoccupied areas on her bed. They seem to be unperturbed by her current condition, treating her as if nothing had changed. Casey grins toothily and sits up, staring at them.

"Hi!" she says exuberantly, leaning forward.

"Hi Casey!"

"Hello Casey,"

"Sup Case,"

They settle down around her while John begins to talk.

"I was just telling Casey how pretty she looks right now. Doesn't she look nice Dave?"

"Hell yeah," he says, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, "You look mighty fine princess, cuter than most of the girls I've laid eyes on,"

Casey giggles and snuggles into his side, wrapping her skinny arms around Dave's waist. He smiles softly and pats her head.

"Hey, I wanna join in!" Jade yells, squirming in next to the two. John jumps in after her, forming a huge cuddle pile. Rose simply rolls her eyes from her place at the foot of the bed.

"Well then, since everyone is situated properly and comfortably, I suppose it is only fitting that I tell a story,"

"Yes yes, tell us a story Rose! I like your stories!" Casey squeaks, bouncing up and down. Rose gives off a small chuckle at Casey's exuberance before pulling her favorite book of fairy tales out of her bag.

"Which one would you like to hear Casey?"

"Uhhh….how about….the one about the little yellow salamander? You know, the one that goes off on an adventure and becomes a magician?"

When Ms. Salamancer treads up the stairs later that night, she finds five children in her daughters bed; the four older kids in various positions of disarray with their long limbs hanging off the bed, and her dear sweet Casey snuggled up in between all of them, content and relaxed, her mouth forming a small 'O'.

A sad smile graces the mother's face as a few tears slip down her cheeks .

"Goodnight my little Casey. Sweet Dreams,"

The light turns off and the door closes behind Mrs. Salamancer as she tromps downstairs and calls the older children's parents, informing them of the impromptu sleepover.

The fairytale book lays open upstairs abandoned by the five. The illustration on the page shows a small yellow salamander with a blue tongue donned in dark robes, leading an army of skeletons.

They sleep peacefully, their dreams taking them to another universe, a place where they were once gods.

* * *

Casey gets frequent visits from the four through the rest of summer.

John plays chess with Casey, showing her how to move and letting her win on purpose.

Dave lets her play with his travel sized folding turntable kit (a gift from his brother), letting her mix her own music and guiding her through the mechanics needed to operate it.

Jade brings over Bec, who patiently sits by Casey, letting her pet and coddle him. She plays Squiddles with Casey, laughing and grinning as the little girl sings her own little rendition of the theme song.

Rose always takes over in the afternoon, when the air becomes cooler and the skies turn darker. She knits a soft purple beanie for Casey, complete with little yellow salamanders with blue tongues, and enthralls the little girl with fairytales.

It's tough sometimes. Casey goes through Chemo at least once a week, making her tired and sick and nauseous. It breaks their hearts to see her deteriorate like this, the little pink cheeked girl who had won their hearts now reduced to a small birdlike lethargic skeletal thing with ashen skin.

But Casey continues to smile, her blue eyes still brightening when the four come to spend time with her.

School starts up again and their visits become a bit less frequent. They make up a schedule that allows at least one of them to visit her each day.

Casey's health is declining at a rapid pace, alarming both Casey's mother and John. Her mother takes her in for a bone marrow transplant, funded by an anonymous donor (Dave specifically told Bro not to give his name when he donated quite a large sum of money towards Casey's medical costs. After all, he was the sole beneficiary of a multi-billion dollar puppet industry, and Bro knew that the little girl needed the money a lot more than he did).

The transplant ultimately failed and Casey lay at the hospital, going through rounds of Chemo in a desperate attempt to kill off the remaining cancer cells that were in her lung tissue.

Casey gets the all clear to go home after a while, resting until the next Chemotherapy appointment. She cries more often nowadays, sobbing into the older kid's embraces when her small body couldn't take the pain, when it hurt far too much.

John visits her one afternoon, bringing along his magic set and chess board, hoping to cheer her up.

Casey brightened when he entered the room, grinning through cracked lips.

"Hi Windy Boy!"

"Hi Caseadoodle!"

They play chess and laugh at John's magic tricks, enjoying the moment.

Then suddenly, everything goes wrong.

Halfway through a chess match, Casey begins to cough. John looks at her concernedly, helping her drink a bit of water. She chokes it down and begins to cough again.

"John..I..don't…feel so…good," she hacks out in between coughs. John begins patting her back, panicking slightly.

"Ms. Salamancer!" he calls out the door. There's no response from her mother, who was in the basement, typing away at her laptop.

John see's something red leak out of the corner of Casey's mouth as she continues to cough. A fine dark mist comes sprays of her mouth as blood begins to dribble down her lips.

"OH MY GOD! MS. SALAMANCER CASEY'S BLEEDING!"

The little girl's eyes tear up and she begins to cry.

"John it hurts,"she whimpers as he scoops up her frail body, cradling her to his chest. He sprints out of the room and runs down the stairs, calling her mother's name.

The next few hours is a blur. John remembers Ms. Salamancer sprinting up the stairs, already calling emergency services. The harsh screeching siren of an ambulance burns it way into his memories.

His fingers and shirt are coated in blood, but he's too scared to care, too panicked to notice as the little girl he almost regarded as a sister gets rolled away on a stretcher, her small head rolling from side to side.

John's father drives him to the hospital, picking up Jade and Dave along the way. Rose arrives later with her mother.

The waiting room is tense, like a spring coiled up to its highest resistance point. Mr. Egbert comforts Casey's mother, whispering soothing words and allowing her to weep into his shoulder. He's met this woman and her daughter many times before, when he went to pick up John or drop him.

But the thing that pulled at his heart the most was that _it could have been him._

That could have been him, weeping into the shoulder of a stranger. That could have been John lying on the operating table while surgeons try to desperately revive him.

But it wasn't him, it wasn't his son; it was a little girl and her mother, two living creatures who knew love and compassion much like him, two people who had people that they loved, and people who loved them back.

After seemingly hours of waiting, a doctor came out, a grim look on his face.

"Ms. Salamancer, may I speak to you for a moment?"

The mother stood up, and followed the doctor shakily into a corner of the hallway. Her dark blonde hair was matted, and her eyes were swollen, but she didn't care a bit. She needed to know how her little girl was doing, the one who meant the world to her.

"Ms. Salamancer, Casey is alright for now. We managed to stop the bleeding and adverse effects and have her hooked up on life support,"

Ms. Salamancer nearly cried with relief. She started smiling, a grin that dropped off her face as soon as she saw the doctor's grim expression.

"However, I need to discuss something with you. Ms. Salamancer, Casey she…." He sucked in a small breath, "Casey doesn't have long. The cancer's spread through her body. I'm sorry to say this, but there's no way she's going to live past next week,"

And thus the world broke around the young mother as she sunk to her knees, her hand covering her mouth and her eyes wide in shock.

* * *

Casey wakes up the day after, sick and woozy from the painkillers. She cries for her mom, little tears running down face.

The four kids take a few days off school to stay with her. John gives her his old stuffed bunny, which she clings to like a lifeline. Rose reads to Casey whenever the little girl desires, weaving tales more and more ludicrous until it ends with Casey laughing and snorting. Dave talks to Casey, rapping with her and consoling her.

And Jade, well, Jade shaves off her hair for the little girl. She shows up one morning, green beanie over her smoothly shaven head. Casey's eyes nearly pop out of her skull.

"Jade…your HAIR!"

Jade grins and plops down on the chair next to her.

"Do you like it? I thought I'd get it cut so that we'd match,"

"But you looked so pretty with it!,"

Jade leans forward and kisses Casey's cheek.

"I think I look even prettier now, just like you,"

Casey grins as Jade brings out her squiddle toys, chucking them on the bed and making them squeak.

Outside, Dave watches the two with a grin on his face. He stares at Jade, watching the way she seemed alive, almost vibrating with energy when she was with the little girl.

"_Wonder if she'll be like that with our kids,"_

Dave's eyes widened as soon as the thought passed through his head.

"_Where the fuck did that come from?"_

* * *

Despite everything, Casey was getting sicker and sicker as the day's went on, to the point where she could no longer sit up. She was tired all the time, often dropping off to sleep in the middle of the kid's visits.

Five days after she's hospitalized, the doctors predict that she has barely 24 hours left, that the cancer's spread too far.

"You might want to say your goodbyes,"

Her small body looks so frail wrapped up in the blankets, so small, so weak.

They take turns talking to her. Jade decided to go first, lugging in her squiddles toys quietly.

"Hi Casey,"

Casey simply smiles, her small eyes crinkling. She looks so tired, so sick.

Jade began to cry.

"I'm so sorry," she chanted over and over, placing her head over Casey's stomach. "I'm so so so sorry,"

Casey placed her hand on Jade's shaking her head slightly, her chapped lips forming an 'O'.

"Its not your fault though,"

Casey coughs a few times, rasping out the words. Jade placed her hands on the little girl's cheeks and placed a kiss over her forehead.

"I know its not my fault Casey, I just… why does it have to be you? You never did anything wrong, yet, you're kinda hurting a lot more than everyone else,"

Casey simply looks at her, bright blue eyes drooping once more.

"Hey Jade,"

"yeah Casey?"

"Play squiddles with me,"

"Alright,"

Jade walked out sobbing, clutching a single yellow and blue squiddle to her chest. Dave bolts up, wrapping his arms around her and shooshing her as she cries, consoling her much as he did when they were younger.

"It's your turn next Rose,"

Rose walks in, Casey's favorite tome clutched in her pale fingers. She sucks in a breath before entering, keeping her face straight and calm.

Her façade breaks almost as soon as Casey smiles.

Rose sits by her bedside, more composed than Jade, and reads Casey's favorite stories aloud to the little girl through tear clouded eyes. She finishes the story of the salamander, and puts her books away.

"I want to tell you a very special story now,"

"Okay,"

"Alright. Once upon a time, there was a pretty little girl named Casey….."

Rose comes out, book clenched in her fingers. She nods at Dave, who is stroking Jade's hair as she curls up on the bench, fast asleep with her head in his lap.

Dave gets up slowly, as not to disturb Jade, and walks into the room. He takes off his shades as soon as he sits down next to Casey's bedside, wiping Rose's lipstick smeared kiss off the little girl's forehead and placing his shades there. Casey giggles quietly.

"Am I a coolkid now?" she asks, staring up at him. He laughs and flicks the glasses so that they fall snugly on the bridge of her nose.

"You were always a coolkid princess. Hell, you might even be cooler than me,"

"So cool," she says, drawing out the word.

"So cool,"Dave agrees, nodding his head and letting his smile droop. "In fact, I think I have a rap to show just how cool you are,"

They rap for half an hour after that, Dave coming up with lines upon lines of rhymes with Casey adding in little bits and pieces in between. Dave is out of breath by the end, his emotions showing clearly on his face. Eyes misting up, he sniffles.

"Hey coolkid, don't cry, it's gonna be okay,"

Dave turns around and chuckles.

"You know, for a five year old, you're handling this a whole fuckin lot better than we are,"

"That's cause' I'm not going to be sick anymore,"

Dave looks up, confused.

"In a little bit, I'm not gonna be sick anymore. I'm gonna go somewhere special, somewhere where the sun shines every day, somewhere where I have as much hair as Rapunzel! I'm going to miss all of you, but I'll visit as much as I can. Rose told me that this place is really cool, and that good people go there after they die so that they can be happy,"

"That sounds like one hell of a place princess,"

Casey pauses for a moment, watching clear tears drip down Dave's face silently.

"Hey Dave,"

"yeah?"

"You believe right?"

"Believe what?"

"That there's a place, after we all die. A place where we're happy,"

Dave shudders slightly, squinting his eyes shut.

"Yeah princess, I believe, and if there's anyone who deserves to go there, it's you Case,"

Casey holds up her arms, her eyes squinching up and her mouth drooping. Dave sits down on the side of the bed and hugs her tight in his arms, burying his face in her shoulder and placing a hand on the back of her head. His eyes crease up as he quivers and begins to truly cry, little hiccups travelling through his body.

"I'm gonna miss you Dave,"

"I'm gonna miss you too Casey,"

"Stay cool Coolkid,"

"You too Princess,"

They sit there, Casey snuggling into Dave's shirt and Dave emptying his soul out, clutching the little girl whom he's grown so fond of.

He doesn't want to leave her. He wants to hold her in his arms, this fragile helpless little thing. He wants her to get better, he wants to see her gaptoothed grin and her pink cheeks, he wants to carry her on his shoulders and let her mess with his glasses, he wants to smother her with affection.

When he leaves, he receives a chap lipped kiss on the cheek from her. He places his lips on her forehead softly.

"Bye Princess,"

"Bye Coolkid. Don't forget about me,"

"I," his voice cracks as he takes a deep breath, "I won't,"

He nearly breaks down when he realizes that this is the last time he'll get to talk to her, the last time he'll see her smile.

His heart aches when he realizes she knows, she consciously knows she's going to die.

The little five year old knew that she was going to die, and she accepted it bravely.

Dave walks out of the room, leaving a little piece of his soul behind.

* * *

John was the last of the four to enter. He walks in unsteadily, sitting down on the edge of Casey's bed.

"Hi Windy Boy!" she chirruped excitedly, her voice coarse and grainy.

"Hey Caseadoodle," John said, putting on a tight lipped smile.

"Don't start crying John. The other three cried a lot and it makes me sad when I see my friends crying,"

"Alright Casey, I'll try,"

A few beats of awkward silence pass.

"I'm scared John,"

John's heart breaks right then and there as he watches Casey begin to cry. Her face remains dry, her body no longer able to create tears, but her face scrunches up in a way that's hearbreaking. He scoops her up into his arms, much like Dave had done before him. A sense of unease and alarm passes through him when he realizes how light she is. It feel wrong, so wrong.

She fists up her hand in his shirt.

"I'm scared John, I'm scared about what's gonna happen to me,"

"Shhhhh…shhhh…Casey, I know it's scary, but you have to be brave,"

"I don't want to leave you guys,"

"You won't,"

"But I'm gonna die!"

"But you won't leave us,"

Casey looks up at him, confusion written across her face.

"Why won't I leave you?"

John takes one of her tiny bony hands, and places it on his chest.

"Because you'll be in here,"

Casey sits quietly, shifting slightly so she can listen to his heartbeat. It soothes her, and her heart matches the pace. She lulls into a tranquil state, somewhere between consciousness and sleep.

"Can you stay with me John, until I die?"

John smiles down at her, eyes wet.

"I promise I will,"

She smiles sweetly and buries her head in his chest.

"I'll miss you Windy Boy,"

"Miss you too Caseadoodle,"

Casey falls asleep in his arms, and he places her on the bed, wrapping the blankets around her. He places a kiss on her forehead much as the others had.

Her mother comes in soon after to find John leaning on the bed, fast asleep with his large hand wrapped around Casey's small one. She sits at the other side of the bed, stroking her little girl's hair and remembering the goodbyes that had passed between them earlier.

"I'm going to miss you sweetheart. I love you,"

Casey smiles and mumbles in her sleep as the others shuffle in.

"Love you too Mama,"

* * *

"John, hey John. Bro, get up,"

Dave's voice sends a jolt through John's spine, making him wake up almost instantaneously. A light sobbing echoes in the background as doctors bustle around him, writing things down and talking in hushed whispers.

John makes a confused noise when he sees Casey's little body, cold and unmoving.

"She's gone man,"

"huh?"

"She…she stopped breathing an hour or so ago,"

John sits there mutely, watching the doctors travel around the frail body. Casey's mother is in the corner, sobbing into his Dad's embrace.

Casey looks peaceful as she lays there, a small smile on her face.

John feels tired all of a sudden, everything crashing down on him in a single instant.

"Take me home Dave,"

"What?"

"Just..take me home,"

Dave helps John outside, where his Bro is waiting for the two of them. A quick exchange goes through the two brothers.

"C'mon man, lets get you home. The girls are waitin in the car."

The car ride is silent, the only noise coming in from outside. Almost as soon as they get to John's house, they climb up to his room, and the four of them collapse on the bed.

They wrap themselves around each other and sob, falling asleep in a tangled mess of limbs and sorrow.

* * *

Casey's funeral happens on a crisp fall day a week after her death. The four kids dress in their best clothes and arrive at the cemetery, silent and aching.

During the funeral, a few words were spoken by the four of them, each talking about what they used to do with Casey. Jade talks about squiddles, Dave talks about music, and Rose tells them of the stories that she used to read to Casey.

John steps up.

"She used to call me her Windy Boy," he began, tears flowing freely, "Casey, she was one of the sweetest girls I'd ever met. She used to laugh and play and giggle in a way that would make you feel alive by just being around her. She used to love when I carried her on my shoulders and ran around, claiming that I taught her how to fly. She..she was like a little sister to me, and I.." he pauses, shuddering slightly, "I don't think I'll ever forget her,"

The rest of the funeral goes by until it's time to lower Casey's casket. She looks so peaceful, as if she's sleeping.

They each place an item in the casket with her. Jade places the yellow and blue squiddle. Rose places a plush salamander that she knitted for the little girl. Dave places his aviators next to her, exposing his unnatural eyes to the world.

John gives her his bunny.

"Goodbye Casey, I'll miss you,"

He places a kiss upon her cold forehead before they close the casket, sealing her inside.

It feels so wrong closing her in like that, airless and without light, almost as if she was a china doll instead of a little girl.

They each toss a little bit of dirt on top of the casket before the burial services do the rest of the work. Her tombstone is specialized, carved in the shape of her storybook salamander.

_Casey Salamancer_

_Beloved daughter and best friend_

_The little girl who could make the world smile with her_

_2001-2006_

The ride home is silent, and John's heart throbs as he stares out the window.

He was never the same again.

* * *

**Hahaha...yeah...sadstuck **

**As usual, I would really appreciate if you guys left a review. It's a huge morale booster and it lets me know what I'm doing right and what I need to improve.**

**My tumblr is magnificenthoofbeasts.**

**~Pyralspite**


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